cooke county detectives have asked for help collecting samples of d.n.a. for the tricia pacaccio murder. >> we get a call from cooke county and they want assistance with an investigation. >> reporter: purely by chance, the chicago investigators had turned to l.a.p.d. detective tom small who happened to be investigating gargiullo for the murder of ashley ellerin at the time. it's an extraordinary coincidence that they happened to call you at the exact same time you were looking at the same individual. >> absolutely. it was just the-- i don't know, stroke of luck. >> reporter: it took small more than a year to find the elusive repairman and collect his d.n.a. for the pacaccio case. five years later, that very same sample would help sergeant lewis-- >> the blood start on the stairs. >> reporter: ...tie gargiullo to

the attack in santa monica. that also wasn't the end of it. >> no, that wasn't the end of it. >> reporter: next, lewis called detective mark lillienfeld, on a hunch that the attack in santa monica might be related to the murder of maria bruno. >> it was very, very similar. >> reporter: so lillienfeld returned to elmont tow search gargiullo's old apartment. >> and sure enough in the attic of the apartment we wound up finding a matching booty, a blue cotton booty just like the same one we had found at the crime scene, the same manufacturer, the same make, the same model of booty. >> reporter: finally catching break they need, detectives small and lillienfeld were both convince-- they had found their killer. >> we were able to submit our cases to the district attorney here in los angeles who felt there was sufficient evidence to go ahead and charge mr. gargiullo. >> reporter: on september 4,

2008, while already in jail for the attack in santa monica, michael gargiullo was indicted on two additional charges, this time for the murders of ashley ellerin, and maria bruno. >> we got ourselves a serial killer. >> reporter: no question in your mind. >> not in my mind, no. >> reporter: even with gargiullo behind bars, california investigators were puzzled by one question-- why hadn't cook county arrested gargiullo for the murder of tricia pacaccio years earlier? >> it's a no-brainer. if he were in custody for another matter, he wouldn't have been free to harm anybody. >> reporter: in fact, cook county did have evidence that could have put gargiullo in custody. back in 2003, the illinois state crime lab matched the gargiullo d.n.a., collected in los angeles, to unidentified d.n.a. found on tricia pacaccio's fingernails.

>> he's, obviously, a person of interest. i can't express what might personal opinions are regarding his guilty or innocence. >> reporter: jack blakey is the head of cold case prosecutions for the cook county's state's attorney. >> based on the fingernails, we have a profile of both the victim and mike gargiullo. >> they're telling me they have d.n.a. it's michael's. >> reporter: at the time, tricia's brother was convinced that cook county had found the smoking gun in his sister's case. but then, inexplicably-- >> they decide not to act on d.n.a. evidence. >> the evidence just hasn't been there. i wish we could bring closure to her family tomorrow. >> reporter: blakey says no arrest was made because the d.n.a. by itself is not enough to prove gargiullo was present when tricia was murdered. >> d.n.a. can be left by either a defensive wound or it can be left by casual contact. he was a friend of the family at

the time, or at least was present at the house on multiple occasions. >> reporter: and that appears to be the biggest obstacle in charging michael gargiullo with the murder of tricia pacaccio. the state's attorney's office claims that because the crime lab only used a single swab to collect all the d.n.a. from tricia's fingernails, it is impossible to determine where that d.n.a. came from. on top of the fingernail or underneath it. and that, they say, is a critical distinction. >> certainly, it's an evidentiary advantage to having the d.n.a. match underneath the fingernails. >> reporter: if the d.n.a. was found under tricia's nails, it could be argued that it got there as she fought against her attacker. >> would it have been better if the swabs had been done a different way? certainly with the science we have now, we could have taken advantage of that. >> reporter: so a simple but ultimately flawed laboratory

procedure appears to have tied the prosecution's hands. >> we have d.n.a. evidence and the experts cannot testify that it was anything other than casual. it might have been more sinister, but it might be casual as well. >> reporter: which is exactly what gargiullo wants investigators to believe about tricia pacaccio, as he told us from jail. >> d.n.a. does not prove that someone-- somebody committed a crime. d.n.a. just pretty much says that the personal was present or could have been present. >> reporter: as for the attacks on the women in california, it seems gargiullo has only one thing to say. >> i'm 100% innocent. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation,

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>> reporter: michael gargiulo has spent more than three years in the los angeles county jail awaiting trial. >> this a real nightmare that i'm living. >> reporter: in that time, he has had several meetings with the "48 hours" producer to

consider the possibility of an on-camera interview. all of the meetings were recorded in the jail. >> i'm 100% innocent and wrongfully charged. >> reporter: gargiulo would not discuss any of the charges against him, but it's clear from these recordings given to us by authorities that he is convinced jail is the last place he belongs. >> like everything good about me, and the fair person that am, and everything, it's not even out there and this is wrong. >> reporter: in 30 years of being in law enforcement, have you ever dealt with someone like this? >> no. he's pretty remarkable. i have met some sick puppies and some unique people and some brilliant people. i never met anybody quite like mike gargiulo. >> reporter: while the investigators in california are sure they've got their man, there is still one troubling question that concerns them greatly. do you think there are other victims out there?

>> i think there's a very real chance. >> we've got evidence, some statements, from mr. gargiulo and other people that indicate that 10 might be... 10 might be the magic number. >> we know that mike gargiullo traveled a little bit between illinois and california. we would certainly love to hear from investigators or other witnesses, people that have knowledge that maybe knew him or ran into him at some point. >> reporter: in the meantime, with gargiulo finally behind bars, los angeles investigators will wait for justice to run its course. >> now, it's up to the jury. >> reporter: what are you hoping for at trial? >> conviction. >> reporter: and sentencing? >> the whole nine yards, whatever the jury finds appropriate. >> reporter: the whole nine yards in this state is the death penalty. >> yes, ma'am. >> reporter: but for the pacaccios, that won't be enough.

>> if he is convicted of murder in california, even if he is sentenced to die is that enough for you... >> no. >> reporter: ...because at least he will have been found guilty and guilty and isn't back out on the street? >> no, no. >> i'm happy that the d.n.a. off of my sister is helping these other families, but at the same time, it's not good enough for that to stop there. it's not... it's not fair to her. this man needs to be held accountable for what he did. >> reporter: since this story first aired last spring, there has been a remarkable development in the tricia pacaccio murder investigation. while watching that episode of "48 hours" a viewer who years earlier this worked with michael gargiulo in a los angeles nightclub, remembered that gargiulo had once bragged to him and others that he had killed a young woman in chicago. "48 hours" put that witness, along with another coworker, in touch with authorities here in the city, and shortly

thereafter, a cook county grand jury finally indicted michael gargiulo for tricia's murder. >> late yesterday, we filed a criminal complaint in court, charging michael gargiulo with first degree murder in the brutal slaying of pacaccio. >> reporter: it was an announcement the pacaccio family had been waiting 18 years to hear. certainly welcome news, and yet... bittersweet. >> for me, the witnesses coming forward to "48 hours" after the show was the first step, and then getting it to the police and having them validate the claim is when we really started to feel a sense of accomplishment. >> he will eventually be brought back here to illinois. we are going to continue with this case but it will be a while before that happens. >> it doesn't take away the pain, but there is some sense of relief. not closure yet. it's a start. that's all it is. it's a start.

>> reporter: do you have hope at this point that he will see a day in court here? >> i wouldn't say hope. i would say i have the tenacity to keep going after him until it does happen. >> reporter: you're not going to give up. >> i'm not going to give up, no. my daughter is going to get the representation that she deserves. >> it's not over. it will never be over for the victims. it will never be over for the victims' families. the only thing that's over is he's off the streets. and young women can sleep a little better at night.

captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> this is definitely a life- and-death struggle. this is a man's life who's on the line. >> they got their man. they did not do their job. >> firefighters found six bodies. >> oh, my god. what happened here? >> manipulating witnesses, fabricating evidence. >> does this man get to live? does this man get to die? >> we're texas, we like to execute people. >> on television, online, on the go and now on ipad. cbs news.

we definitely need adrenaline rush pumped into the city. >> the heisman trophy is coming to town. >> redskins confirm the team is now in position to finally land that franchise quarterback. >> what has happened here, you know, the redskins did not wait and just decide what they are going to do later.

they made a commitment. they made a bold move. >> this is 9news now. >> hello, everybody. i'm bruce johnson and thanks for joining us this saturday night. it's never a dull offseason for the redskins, but tonight is not somebody else's star player who is coming here. fans, former players, skins management, they are all reacting to news that the team traded up to draft its first franchise quarterback since who? who was the last franchise quarterback? >> you have to go way back into the archives. everybody knew the number two position was key to this year's draft. the rams had it. many teams wanted it in order for the redskins to leap up to get it, they had to make a bold move. they made one. today, general manager, bruce allen, confirming what we already knew. washington mortgaged a lot to get that number two pick. and one would assume they are going to use it to obtain the services of that guy right

there. robert griffin iii. heisman trophy winner. tonight, during a charity event downtown, allen and other former redskins chiming in on the move. why did they do it? did they give up too much? all of those subjects were on the table. >> i want to remind everyone we have the second pick of the draft and clearly we fell in love with two players and we believe one of those players will be a great risk. we understand it was a heavy price. when you bought your home, you want to pay less, too, but you like your home once you live in it. so we're very comfortable. >> the redskins did not wait and just decide what they are going to do later. they made a commitment. they made a bold move and i think at the end of the day, rg2, 3, 4, 5, whoever he is. no, rg3 is the guy. >> it's been tough. i feel for our fans and in many

ways, that we haven't been successful. and we are trying to get it right and i think we made a big step. >> strong words by general manager, bruce allen. we are just getting started. coming up in sports, i'm joined by grant paulson. we're going to discuss, was the price tag too steep in and is peyton manning still an option here in d.c.? all that and the caps and the wizards and d.c. united coming up in sports. i like that. we're trying to get it right. high risk, high reward. here's what the fans are saying tonight about the team's move to acquire rg3. ken hit the streets to gauge the pulse in the city. >> reporter: there's a new loud noise being heard on washington's bustling streets and it sounds like this. >> rg3. rg3. rg3. >> we need him bad. we need a quarterback. >> no doubt about it. everywhere you look, washington is buzzing with the almost

locked in chance of heisman trophy winner, robert griffin iii coming to the redskins. >> we have not had a great quarterback like that as long as i can remember. this guy is disciplined, intelligent, physical, articulate, he's the whole package. >> it's been more than a decade since the redskins had anything to brag about. they hope rg3 will be the break they and the team so desperately need. from ben's chili bowl to the neighborhood sports bar and barber shop, everyone is just -- >> happy that he is coming to town. >> clearly there is no shortage of excitement in washington over the prospects of rg3 coming to town. you'll also find those who are skeptical about the possibility. >> if this doesn't work out, the next few years are going to be tougher. >> it's not going to be the magic pill. >> most of the skeptics are

critical of what the redskins traded. >> to give three years straight first round picks and a second in this one, i think it might have been too much. >> despite those sentiments, there's no denying washington has just been pumped with a new kind of energy that has been missing here for years. >> rg3, baby. the heisman trophy is coming to town. >> at a news conference earlier today, redskins general manager would not specify by name who the team is interested in. he would only say right now they are in love with two specific players. dave owens and the sports team will have more coming up later in this newscast. for now, we're in chinatown, 9news now. >> more envelopes had white powder showed up in washington today. this is federal authorities continue to investigate a man who they believe sent 100 threatening letters this week. armando trull has the latest developments. >> there was another white powder scare in washington,

d.c. saturday afternoon. this time it happened in the 1600 block of i street northwest. it's a high-rise office building that contains a restaurant on the main floor as well as offices for the motion pictures association of america. as in past incidents, crews swept the building looking for dangerous substances, but none were found. the latest incident came one day after u.s. capital police announced they had arrested 39- year-old christopher lee carlson for allegedly sending out 100 envelopes containing white powder to members of congress and media organizations. >> they told me to stay inside and next thing i hear is bang, bang, bang. and boom. >> carlson is described in court documents as being from the portland, vancouver, washington area. all the letters were postmarked in portland. none of them contain any toxic substances. the letters said there is a 10% chance that you have just been exposed to a lethal pathogen.

>> charged with sending letters and threatening to use a biological weapon. >> john boehner as the victim. the second count names barbra as the victim. at this point, it's not clear if carlson has been linked to the white powder scares in the district that have targeted two elementary schools, the epa, and several businesses this past week. in washington, armando trull, 9news now. >> rick santorum is claiming victory in kansas. the republican republican hopeful picked up some 33 delegates in saturday's gop caucuses. today's caucuses were held in kansas and wyoming and the virgin islands. mitt romney is the projected winner in wyoming. he leads the overall race for delegates with 442. santorum has 213 followed by newt gingrich with 107. ron paul has 46. 1,144 delegates are needed to

win the republican nomination. reports tonight, the wins today come just ahead of an important contest in alabama and another one in mississippi. >> rick santorum delivered the news to a pumped up crowd in missouri. >> we are going to win kansas and the vast majority of delegates in kansas. >> kansas vote favored santorum where mitt romney and newt gingrich did not campaign. >> i'm voting for rick santorum. i like his stance on social issues. >> romney had a good day. the associated press is reporting he won the wyoming caucuses. gingrich spent saturday barn storming in alabama. the former house speaker signed autographs and asked for support as he works to jump start his campaign in the deep south. >> we can win alabama and mississippi tuesday night, we will reset the campaign for the 9th or 10th time. sometime on wednesday. >> gingrich is vowing to stay

in the race right through the gop convention, but santorum is hoping a poor showing on tuesday will force gingrich to drop out. consolidating the conservative vote that split between the two candidates. romney has a commanding lead in the delegate count after six victories on super tuesday. he is looking for a strong showing in the south after losing to gingrich in georgia and south carolina. >> i got started right with a biscuit and cheesy grits. >> ron paul continues to focus on caucus states. cbs news. >> tomorrow marks the first anniversary of that deadly quake and tsunami that killed close to 20,000 people in japan. the disaster triggered a nuclear crisis. a year later, many residents still afraid of the radiation. japanese officials insist they are doing regular testing to protect the citizens. a new report out tonight. interviews with authorities point to many people dying because of bad planning and a

lack of communication between government agencies. it's the worst violence in gaza in a year. israel and palestinians have been exchange gunfire for a second consecutive day. 15 militants have been killed. one isreali citizen was injured from rockets fired into southern israel. israel's missile defense system intercepted more than 25 rockets. frightening moments tonight in loudoun county neighborhood where a fire in one house quickly spread to a second residence. this happened on nicholas lane. three firefighters were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. no word tonight on the cause of that fire. ahead on 9news now tonight. >> their dog gets to play. they get treats and they have a good time. >> and the st. patrick's day celebration for our four legged friends. we'll explain. >> we are matching students

with quality institutions where d.c. students graduate and have a chance at running a degree. >> we'll take you to a college workshop for local students and parents. back in a minute. : and bruce, as we wake up for sunday morning, expecting lots of sunshine. a cold start once again. temperatures cooling down to 20s and 30s. but by 9:00, still chilly, plenty of sun. milder, 50 to 55 by 11:00. i have your full seven-day forecast, including a significant warmup coming this way.

2012, virginia legislative session ended tonight. lawmakers passed more than 1500 bills. they failed to agree on a budget. they'll tackle that issue in a special session beginning march 21. some d.c. high school students got an upclose look at college opportunities today. the smart college expo took place on the grounds of trinity college in northeast washington. representatives from dozens of colleges and universities were on hand to meet with prospective students. there were also workshops on obtaining tuition assistance. choosing the right school and surviving those first few months away from home. >> some of the issues they are

facing are, they select the school based on where their friends go or something that they read in a magazine or look online and don't do some real research to find out what is really happening at a school. >> attendeis had an opportunity to tour trinity college and complete financial aid applications right there on site. you know the saying, everybody's irish on st. patrick's day and man's best friend is no exception to all that. a doggy daycare center in woodbridge, virginia, hosted its second annual st. patrick's pup crawl. some 30 dogs made their way to various stations at the dog easy inn for doggy treats, doggy bandannas and even doggy beer while their owners ran errands. we're told that alcohol-free beer is actually made out of beef broth. >> it's absolutely worth the trip and a beautiful day to be here. >> coming up on 9news now

tonight. cherry blossoms peeking early this year. we're going to give you a preview. what can we expect for sunday warmup? anny has the forecast when we come back. don't forget, move those clocks ahead.

happy spring. i got a picture of the butter about to explode and get a picture of the first tree of the year. so after that, i give up. >> the cherry blossoms may not be in full bloom, but visitors to the title basin are enjoying the early blooms this weekend. a peek bloom for the blossoms to run the week of march 24. you can go to wusa9.com for information. what's going on down there? >> not a big surprise that the peek bloom will be earlier this year. usually it's around early april. average out the numbers, but we are looking at probably around a couple weeks in march. here's a look at our graphic. the peek blooms, you already see the blooms out there. the estimate, here it is.

march 24 to march 31. the average i was telling you is april 4 to the 5. festival kicking off on march 20 and the wind is the main enemy because those blooms are very delicate. here's a live look on wisconsin avenue just on top of our building here in northwest d.c. temperature falling down with 39 degrees. partly cloudy. the winds, it was windy at times earlier today, but now they are much lighter. south, southeast at 3 miles per hour. right now, it's 32 in gaithersburg. also the freezing mark in leesburg. manassas in the lower 30s. culpeper 30. annapolis you're in the lower 40s. andrew's air force base, 35 degrees. temperatures are dropping throughout tonight. i want to show you the east coast temperature because you can see out to the west in chicago, st. louis, des moines, they're in the 50s. we are getting some of that in the next couple of days where we'll see 70s in the middle of the week. right now, the area